Children And Salvation

I have two questions in regards to the topic “Will We See Our Unborn Babies in Heaven?”. First: Isn’t using Psalm 139:13-16 taking that verse out of context, for even if life did not begin at conception, could God not also make us in our mothers wombs, and isn’t the point of that verse to talk about how much God cares for us and has planned out our life and not to define when human life starts?

Second: Is there any Scriptural proof that would say that before a child makes a decision they will go to heaven. Romans 10:9 says “if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This would seem to say that babies will not go to heaven because they never confessed nor believed.

I have been wondering about this for a while now, and any answer you have would be much appreciated.

A

God spoke to Jeremiah saying He had chosen and anointed him as a prophet to Israel before he was born. (Jere. 1:4-5) While this could just be an example of God’s foreknowledge, there’s the implication of a relationship that began at the moment of conception. And in Psalm 51:5 David claimed to be sinful from the moment of conception. How could that be unless his life had begun then? I think my characterization of Psalm 139:13-16 is accurate. God begins His relationship with us by giving us life at the moment of conception.

In Matt. 18:10 Jesus told us that children are assigned angels who report daily to God. And in Romans 7:9 Paul explained that he had been alive apart from the Law, but then the commandment came, sin sprang to life, and he died. He was referring to the time before reaching the age of accountability when he had Eternal Life. Upon becoming responsible for his behavior, his sin nature condemned him to death.

Taken together these verses tell us that we begin life belonging to God. When we’re old enough to accept responsibility for ourselves, we’re given our freedom. Then we have to choose whether to leave things as they were or go off on our own. It’s at that point in our lives that Romans 10:9 becomes operative.

About Grace thru Faith

Jack Kelley published over 9,000 Bible Study resources here from 1999, until the Lord called him home in the fall of 2015. His teachings made the Bible clear and easy to understand, and impacted millions of lives. He is the author of all the teachings here, and all materials are available free of charge! His wife Samantha maintains this site as well as their missionary outreaches.